The Relationship Between Australia And Indonesia In The Context Of Indo-Pacific Strategy

Currently,the concept of Indo-Pacific is increasingly gaining momentum globally.After the implementation of America’s Indo-Pacific strategy,many a country has made relevant strategic adaption and Australia and Indonesia are no exceptions.Both countries gradually form their strategic views on the Indo-Pacific.As a consequence of the strategic adjustment,Australia-Indonesia relationship has also witnessed a variety of changes.This paper,hence,makes efforts to study the strategic views of Australia and Indonesia on the Indo-Pacific.Besides,it also explores current Australia-Indonesia relationship against the background of Indo-Pacific strategy and makes an evaluation of the prospect of the bilateral relations.Firstly,the relationship between Australia and Indonesia is to be analyzed chronologically to help better understand the complicated development of this bilateral tie,and some sensitive issues between them will be explored as well.Secondly,an examination of Australia’s and Indonesia’s strategic views of the Indo-Pacific has been made.Generally,it was long before the introduction of America’s Indo-Pacific strategy that Australia as well as Indonesia began to pay attention to the concept of the Indo-Pacific.Australia’s strategic view on the Indo-Pacific shares a lot in common with that of Indonesia,for example,the emphasis on maritime cooperation,mixed attitudes towards China and the desire to maintain the regional stability and prosperity.As for the difference,Indonesia’s strategic view on the Indo-Pacific is more inclusive compared with Australia’s.Besides,Australia attaches importance to the role of Quad while Indonesia emphasizes the centrality of ASEAN.Thirdly,the paper explores Australia-Indonesia relationship in the context of Indo-Pacific strategy,specifically from the perspectives of politics,economy and security.In terms of politics,the paper mainly analyzes the high-level exchanges,political interactions on multilateral occasions as well as the establishment of their comprehensive strategic partnership.As for economy,the paper mainly focuses on the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement(IA-CEPA)and the infrastructure construction.When it comes to security,maritime cooperation,South China Sea issue and the trilateral relations with India are looked into.In sum,the ties between Australia and Indonesia are strengthening in various fields.At last,the paper investigates the impacts and prospects of Australia-Indonesia relationship.Generally speaking,it is very likely that Australia-Indonesia relationship will continue to be enhanced in the future.Although the close and friendly relations of Australia and Indonesia bring benefits to both sides and do not pose a direct threat to China,yet China should also stay cautious and take relevant measures.